Wire and strand saturating tank



April 15, 1941. A. P. HlNsKY WIRE AND STRAND SATURATING TANK Filed June 9,- 1939 Patented Apr. 15, 1941 UNITE Dy STATES PATIENT. orifice WIREAND STRAND SATURATING TANK,

Anthony P. ninety', Brooklyn, N. Y., signoria Pyro Products Corporation, Brooklyn,` N.- Y., a corporation of NewA York if l i ApplicationJuneS, 1939, Serial No. 278,224

` reference characters in each-of the views, `and in Z0 Claims.l

This invention relatesy to tanks designed particularly; for use in satura-ting insulated wires and suitable forsaturating any type or kind of elongated strand` in the application of` saturants or compositions thereto and including the applica tion of heated materials of this type and kind; andthe object of the invention is to provideV a tank ofthe character described employing one or more drums with means for supporting the drum or drums in a fully submerged position within the saturating orr coating; solution arranged in the tank as well `as to support the drum or drums in a partiallyraised position for threading `a wire or strand thereon, and still'further in supporting a Wire or strand on the drum or drums; a further object being to provide; drums perforated to provideA means for applying the coatingY material to the vsurfaces of; the wire orstrand 'engaging the drum when wound thereon; afurther object being; to providea rounded bottom to the tankso as todispose the lowerl portion ofthe drum or drums in clo'se proximity to the bottom, of the tank toinsure, by-the rotation of the drum, .a constant agitationrof 'the coating materia1 at the bottomlof the `tank While also ,checking or harnessing,` to some degree, thecurrent or eddy of the materialwhoh has 4a ltendency to be thrown away from the drumiin the rotation of the drum inthe coating material; a further object `being to provideadjustable means for stopping the submerged movementof the drum into the tank'to maintain a predetermined position of the drum' withinthe tank; a further object; being to provide drum-lifting and lowering means which'is self-locking so as to maintain'the drum in differ--y ent positions of adjustment; a still further' object being to provideV independent'compartments inv a tank for the receptionofindependent'drums, and tothe provision of 'asup'ply tank intermediate the separate 'compartments foireplenishing the supply of coating 'material to the respective compartments; andwith these and other'objects in view, the invention consists ln an apparatus of the class andfor the purpose specified which isy simple in construction, efficient inY use and which is constructed as hereinafter described and claimed. The invention `is fully disclosed in the following specification, of `which the accompanying drawingiforms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvementware designated by suitable Which: f l Fig. 1 is a sectional view'through a tank made according torny inventionl showing parts intwo 'different dotted Yline positions.

Fig; 2 isa plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1 with parts of the construction broken away and in section, and

Fig. 3r is a ,diagrammatic plan View showing another adaptation of the invention.

Inthetreatment of insulatedconductors in applying'saturantsl and the like thereto, it has `been a commonpractice to pass theiconductor' severaljtimes around a partially-submerged drum arranged upon a relatively xed axis' in the tank,

or to pass -the conductor `around spaced 'sheaves arranged in a long rectangular tank. It is the purpose of my invention to overcome objectionable featuresto structures of this type and kind by providing amore compact tank which will ot:-`

-' may` be `fully' submerged inthe `coating materialv arranged: inthe tank, raised slightly for the pur-i pose of wrapping or winding a conductor or strand` thereonfa number of` times, and still. 'furof the tank.- In addition l`to the 4'foregoing itis therto moving the drum above the upper'surface another-feature nf my apparatus to so construct and Iarrangethe walls ofthe tank with respect to the drum as to establish a more constantcon'- tactl of ,the coating-material with thel Wire 'or i strand on' the `drumin rotating the drum at'` high f the requirements of av manufacturer.

speeds to provide fortheicoating or processing of` conductors' or speeds. u

In Figs. f1 and 2 of the drawing I have shown,

`strandsrwhich are fed'at high for the purpose of illustrating one adaptation 'of substantially yoke-shaped in form having spaced bearings I4 for shafts I5, and bearings I6 for worm shafts I'I to which' are secured wormsy I8. 'Ihe'oute'rends' ofthe shafts I I have cranks I9A by means of which the worms I8 may be rotated to rotate Worm wheels 20 secured to the shafts I 5.

It will be apparent from a consideration of Fig. 2 of the drawing that each bracket I3 supports an independent operating unit, and as these units are identical in construction, like references will represent like parts. Each unit is `adapted to control the operation of independent drums 2|, 2|a. Secured to each shaft |'5 is a pair of arms 22 of the general contour as seen in Fig. 1 of the drawing. Supported in connection. with the free end of each pair of arms is a shaft 23 upon which the respective drums 2|, 2|a are free to rotate. Each drum also has secured to one side thereof a large gear 24 by means of which the drums may be manually rotated when lraised into the position shown at X in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing, in which position the gears 24 mesh with pinions 25 which in turn mesh with other pinions 26 on a shaft rotated through the medium of a hand crank 21. The parts 25, 26 and 21 are supported upon the `upper portion of the sides of the tank, as clearly indicated in Figs. 1 and 270i rthe drawing, so as to maintain proper registering position with Irespect to the gears 24 when moved into raised position, while at the same time permitting the free passage of the drums from the position at X to the position shown at X2 in Fig. 1 of the drawing as well as the return of the drums to the normal submerged position shown in full lines in Fig. l.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the drums are moved into their raised and lowered positions through the rotation of the crank I9, and the worm I8 and worm wheel 20. This structure forms a self-supporting lock for the drum in the several positions of adjustment thereof.

I also .provide at each side portion of the'tank a bracket 28 in which an adjustment stop screw 29 is supported to engage one of the arms 22 of each pair to limit and control the normal or fully submerged position of the drums in the tank. In this way, proper relationship of the drums with respect to the bottom of the tank may be maintained or may be varied to suit diierent runs of material in providing the desired or most suitable `clearance of the drums with respect to the bottom of the tank. When the drums are fully submerged, a level of the coating material is maintained in the tank well above the upper part of the drum as is indicated at 30 in Fig. 1 of the drawing so that the drum is fully submerged.

The `drums in the construction shown, are of identical construction, therefore, the brief descriptlon of one will apply to both. Each drum is formed from sheet metal side `discs 3|, 32 having an inner solid wall ring 33, joining opposed discs 3|, 32, and an outer larger diameter'perthoughthe windings of the insulated wire or strand are arranged in close proximity to each other on the drum.

Each outer ring 34 upon which the wire or strands are wound are also preferably tapered from the discs 32 to the discs 3| so that the incoming wire or strands as at 39, 39a after passing over a guide sheave 40, will extend onto the wider diameter of the tapered ring 34 and automatically feed in the direction of the discs 3| and then will be fed off from the drums and pass over other guide sheaves 4| and then passed through ydie or other wipers 42 supported upon the upwardly inclined portion 43 of the tank and frame so that the surplus removed material 3l) will pass back into the tank, as will be apparent. At this time it will be understood that any type and kind of wipers or dies may be employed, the illustration in the accompanying drawing being simply diagrammatic.

Supported in connection with one arm 22 in each pair is a guide finger or arm 44 for maintaining a proper feed of the Wire or strand upon entering each of the drums and to prevent overlapping of the wire or strand at one end of the drum. In the present illustration, a few turns of the wire or strand are shown at one end of each drum, and these turns are shown in spaced relation to each other. In some instances, however, especially in using larger diameter wires or strands, a closer relationship of the wire or strands on the drum may result.

It will be understood that in using dual drums arranged in la single tank, as illustrated in Fig. 2 ofthe drawing., each drum is independently controlled and operated, and the control and operation of 'one drum will in no way affect the control and operation of the other. With a construction of .this type and kind it Will also appear It will also be lapparent that each drum may operate in an independent 'material by simply partitioning the tank centrally and longitudinally thereof. Still further, and as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing, `a tank |2a may have double partitions 4'5 to form within and between the separate chambers 45, 41 of the tank, a reserve chamber 48, or this chamber may be partitioned centrally and transversely as seen at 49 .to form independent `compartments 50, 50a, especially when independent or dlerent materials are to be used in the chambers 4S, 41.

In Fig. 3 of the drawing, 5|, 5|'a represent, diagrammatically, the independent drums similar in all respects to the .drums 2| 2| a, and all of the supporting and operating mechanism has been omitted from the illustration in Fig. 3 of the drawing as thereis noneed of duplicating this Vshowing to simply illustrate a different type of tank construction which can be employed When saturants, compounds or coating materials are to be applied hot or under predetermined temperatures, suitable heating mediums will be provided below the tank or tanks. To diagrammatically illustrate one type of heating medium, I have shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing in cross section, two gas burner tubes 52 disposed beneath the tank and extending transversely of the apparatus. It will of course be understood that suitable and well known means will be provided to maintain substantially constant temperature of the material employed, and where different materials are employed in independent tanks, independent heating mediums and controls will of course be provided.

At 52a in Fig. 3 of the drawing I have diagrammatically illustrated theburner tubes protruding from one end of the tank.

In the operation of the apparatus, it-willappear from a consideration of Fig. 1 of the drawing that the fiow or eddy of the coating material caused by the-fast rotation of the drum or drums, is checked and retarded by the rounded contour of the bottom of the tank, and in maintaining the walls of the tank in close proximity to the periphery of the drum and by operating the drum or drums in the fully submerged position, oxidation is substantially eliminated in that no air is drawn into the material by the drums, as would be the case in conventional methods of procedure where a drumis partially submerged. Further, the use of the perforated wall structure 34 on the drum in the `chamber 31 with the admission ports 38, provides for the circulation of the material through the periphery of the drum to contact the underside of the wire or strand wound thereon. In fact, this construction will set up an independent circulation within the peripheral portion of the drum and produce in effect a flow of material heretofore unknown in apparatus of this type'and kind.

While an independent reserve tank may be used to replenish the supply of the coating or saturating material, especially when the same is heated, and is desirable from the standpoint of maintaining a substantially constant temperature, it will appear that by associating the reserve tank or tanks with a complete unit as in Fig. 3 of the drawing and utilizing the same heating medium, a more efficient and practical construction is provided. In this way the unheated material may be fed into the reserve tank or tanks from time to time without having any detrimental effect upon the temperature of the material or materials in the associated tank or tanks employed in a complete unit.

It will be understood that with my novel method of quickly raising and lowering the drums with respect to the tank, the operation of stringing or winding a new wire or strand on the drum can be quickly performed by simply raising the drum in the position shown at X and operating the cranks 21. In like manner, when it is desired to clean out or repair the apparatus, the drum may be raised into position as shown at X2 in Fig. 1, which will render the tank accessible for f' cleaning or other purposes prior to the introduction of new coating materials into the tank, This is especially true in introducing different types and kinds of materials in the tank from a standpoint of consistency or color.

It will also appear that the rounded bottom tank in addition to performing the advantageous i functions before named, produces a tank which may be more readily cleaned than the more conventional at bottom rectangular tanks. By reason of the foregoing facts, it will be apparent that a shop may operate on different runs of material or in applying diiferent types and kinds of coatings on wires or strands with a minimum number of machines or apparatus, eliminating the necessity of maintaining one apparatus for one type and kind of coating or saturant treat ment to wires or strands of the type under consideration.

It will also be apparent that in the treatment of certain types or kinds of strand-like workpieces, a continuous processing maybe provided wherein the workpiece passes from one tank unit of the type and kind herein described, into one or more -btherunits in applying different coatings or compounds thereto in one continuous process.

In this connection, it will also be apparentthat' while I have shown in the combined unit, as` in Fig. 2 of -the drawing, the entrance of the workpiece or strand at one common side or vend of the machine with a` discharge at' one common side or end thereof, that one of these units may be reserved iso that one strand enters at one side and the other strand at the opposed side. This is simply a matter of arrangement kand adaptation of the invention to suit different possible uses thereof.

It will be understood that as in other tanks of the type and kind under consideration, the insulated wire conductor, or other strands, is drawn through the apparatus, and this 'drawing operae tion of the strand by reason of vthe number of turns upon the drum or drums causes the latter to be rotated. In this connection it will also appear-that the adjustment or movement of 'the drums with respect to the tank will in no way interfere with the drawing'operation of the workpiece, In this connection it will be understood that in some instances, it might be desirable to operate the drum in a partially submerged position, and in such instances other means will be provided for guiding the take-off of the workpiece or the strand from the drum to compensate for the different positions thereof. It Will of course be apparent that my invention is by no means restricted to the specific structure herein disclosed for-supporting and operating the drums or for mounting the same or to the other structural details of the apparatus as shown, as this would be varied and modified to suit different adaptations and uses of the invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure `by Letters Patent, is: I

`1. A'n apparatus for the `treatment and coating of strand-like workpieces comprising a tank, a rotatable member around which the workpiece passes, means movably supporting said rotatable member to arrange said member in a fully submerged position within a coating material arranged in said tank and for raising said member in to a partially submerged position or entirely out of the tank, adjustable means for limiting the movement of said member into the tank, interengaging` means on said member and tank for manually rotating said member when the same is supported in a partially submerged position, means for guiding the workpiece strand into and out of the tank, means for removing surplus material from the workpiece before passing beyond the boundaries of the tank, and an elongated part pivotally secured to said first-named means and tangentially contacting sai-d rotatable member for guiding the iirst turn of the workpiece on said member.

2. An apparatus for the treatment and coating of strand-like workpieces comprising a tank, a rotatable member around which the workpiece passes, means movably supporting said rotatable member to arrange said member in a fully submerged position within a coating material arranged in said tank and for raising said member into a partially submerged position or entirely out of the tank, said rotatable member comprising a drum having an outer perforated ring upon which the workpiece is wound, and means forming an annular chamber within said perforated ring eX- posed to the material in the tank for applying material in said tank to the undersurfaces of the workpiece arranged on the ring of said drum.

' 3. An apparatus for the'treatment and coating of strand-like workpieces comprising a tank, a rotatable member aro-und which the workpiece passes, means movably supporting said rotatable member to arrange said member in a fully submerged position within a coating material arranged in said tank and for raising said member into a partially submerged position or entirely out of the tank, said rotatable member comprising a drum having an outer perforated ring upon which the workpiece is wound, means forming an annular chamber within said perforated ring eX- posed to the material in the tank for applying material in said tank to the undersurfaces of the workpiece arranged on the ring of said drum, and said first named means comprising a pair of arms pivotally supported in connection with the tank, with the drum freely rotatable in the free end of said arms and a worm and worm wheel for actuating said arms in moving the drum into different positions with respect to said tank..

4. An apparatus for coating elongated strandlike workpieces comprising a tank, a rotatable drum around which the workpiece is wound a number of times, and means supporting the drum with respect to the tank for pivotal movement in a predetermined path from a position fully submerged within a coating material arranged in the tank to at least a partially submerged position with respect to said material, and unitary control means adapted both to impart desired pivotal movement to said drum and to support the drum in different positions of adjustment with respect to the tank.

5. An apparatus for coating elongated strandlike workpieces comprising a tank, a rotatable drum around which the workpiece is wound a number of times, means supporting the drum with respect to the tank for pivotal movement in a predetermined path from a position fully submerged within a coating material arranged in the tank to at least a partially submerged position with respect to said material, unitari,r control means adapted both to impart desired pivotal movement to said drum and to support the drum in different positions of adjustment with respect to the tank, and means in the path of movement of said drum and cooperating with the drum in one position of adjustment thereof for rotating said drum independent of the rotation thereof by said workpiece.

6. An apparatus for coating elongated strandlike workpieces comprising a tank, a rotatable drum around which the workpiece is wound a number of times, means supporting the drum with respect to the tank for pivotal movement in a predetermined path from a position fully submerged within a coating `material arranged in the tank to at least a partially submerged position with respect to said material, unitary control means adapted both to impart desired pivotal movement to said drum Vand to support the drum `in diierent positions of adjustment with respect to the tank, means in the path of movement of said drum and cooperating with the :drum in one position of adjustment thereof for rotating said drum independent of the rotation thereof by said workpiece, and adjustable means limiting the fully submerged position of the drum in said tank.

'7. In a tank for treating and coating insulated conductors, a drum around which a conductor is wound, a pair of arms pivotally supported in connection with an upper edge portion of said tank, means at the free ends of the arms for rotatably supporting a drum in connection therewith, means for actuating said arms to swing the drum relatively tosaid upper edge portion of the tank whereby said drum may be supported Cil in a fully submerged position within treating material arranged in the tank chamber and raised into at least a partially submerged position with respect to said material.

8. In an apparatus for treating and coating insulated wires, a tank in which coating or treating material is arranged and maintained at a predetermined level, a drum supported in fully submerged position within the material arranged in said tank for free rotary movement in the feed of an insulated Wire through the tank and around said drum, the peripheral surface of the drum engaged by the insulated wire being inclined slightly with respect to the axis of said drum, said surface having transversely and circumferentially spaced perforations, an annular member arranged inwardly of said surface, and in uniformly spaced relation thereto defining an annular chamber within said drum, and means on the drum admitting the material in said tank to said annular chamber to extend outwardly through said perforated surface thereby contacting the underside-of the insulated conductor arranged on the drum. i

9. An apparatus for the treatment and coating of strand-like workpieces, said apparatus comprising a tank, a rotatable member around which a workpiece is adapted to pass, means` at an upper edge portion of the tank pivotally supporting said rotatable member in connection with said tank in a manner to provide swinging movement of said member with respect to said upper edge portion from a position wholly within the tank to a position completely removed from the tank, and means adjacent the pivotal support of said member for controlling the swinging movement thereof.

10. An apparatus for the treatment and coating of strand-like workpieces, said apparatus comprising a tank, a rotatable member around which a workpiece is adapted to pass, means at an upper edge portion of the tank pivotally supporting said rotatable member in connection with said tank in a manner to provide swinging movement of said member with respect to said upper edge portion from a position wholly within the tank to a position completely removed from the tank, and means adjacent the pivotal support of said member for controlling the swinging movement thereof, said last-named means comprising a worm and worln gear arranged to provide intended movement of said member and to support said member in any position of pivotal adjustment thereof.

11. An apparatus for the treatment and coating of strand-like workpieces, said apparatus comprising a tank, a rotatable member around which a workpiece is adapted to pass, means at an upper edge portion of the tank pivotally supporting said rotatable member in connection with said tank in a manner to provide swinging movement of said member with respect to said upper edge portion from a position wholly within the tank to a position completely removed from the tank, means adjacent the pivotal support of said member for controlling the swinging movement thereof, said last-named means comprising a worm and worm gear arranged to provide intended movement of said member and to support said member in any position of pivotal adjustment thereof, and adjustable means for limiting the movement of said member into the tank.

12. An apparatus for the treatment and coating of strand-like workpieces, said apparatus comprising a tank, a rotatable member around which a workpiece is adapted to pass, means at an upper edge portion of the tank pivotally supporting said rotatable member in connection with said tank in a manner to provide swinging movement of said member with respect to said upper edge portion from a position wholly within the tank to a position completely removed from the tank, means adjacent the pivotal support of said member for controlling the swinging movement thereof, adjustable means for limiting the movement of said member into the tank, and interengaging means on said member and tank for manually rotating said member when the same is supported in a position partially removed from the tank.

13. An apparatus for coating strand-like workpieces of the character described, said apparatus comprising a tank, a pair of drums freely rotatable about separate movable axes, means mounting said drums for pivotal movement about a common axis adjacent one upper edge of the tank, independent control means for moving the drums about said last-named axis between positions fully submerged in the treating material in the tank and positions at least partially removed frcm the tank, and said control means also forming means for retaining the drums in any desired positions of adjustment.

14. An apparatus for coating strand-like workpieces of the character described, said apparatus comprising a tank, a pair of drums freely rotatable about separate movable axes, means mounting said drums for pivotal movement about a common axis adjacent one upper edge of the tank, independent control meansfor moving the drums about said last-named axis between positions fully submerged in the treating material in the tank, and positions at least partially removed from the tank, said control means also forming means for retaining the drums in any desired positions of adjustment, and independent means cooperating with the respective drums in predetermined positions of adjustment thereof for independently and manually rotating the drums.

15. An apparatus for coating strand-like workpieces of the character described, said apparatus comprising a tank, a pair of drums freely rotatable about separate movable axes, means mounting said drums for pivotal movement about a common axis adjacent one upper edge of the tank, independent control means for moving the drums about said last-named axis between positions fully submerged in the treating material in the tank and positions at least partially removed from the tank, said control means also forming means for retaining the drums in any desired positions of adjustment, independent means cooperating with the respective drums in predetermined positions of adjustment thereof for independently and manually rotating the drums, and adjustable means controlling the fully submerged position of each drum.

16. An apparatus for coating strand-like workpieces of the character described, said apparatus comprising a tank, a pair of drums freely rotatable about separate movable axes, means mounting said drums for pivotal movement about a common axis adjacent one upper edge of the tank, independent control means for moving the drums about said last-named axis between positions fully submerged in the treating material in the tank and positions at least partially removed from the tank, said control means also forming means for retaining the drums in any desired positions of adjustment, and the tank being subdivided intermediate said drums to provide independent chambers in the tank in which the separate drums operate.

1'7. An apparatus for coating strand-like workpieces of the character described, said apparatus comprising a tank, a pair of drums freely rotatable about separate movable axes, means mounting said drums for pivotal movement about a common axis adjacent one upper edge of the tank, independent control means for moving the drums about said last-named axis between positions fully submerged in the treating material in the tank and positions at least partially removed from the tank, said control means also forming means for retaining the drums in any desired positions of the adjustment, the tank being subdivided intermediate said drums to provide independent chambers in the tank in which the seperate drums operate, and the subdivision of the tank comprising a reserve compartment for the storage of coating material to be supplied to the separate chambers of the tank.

18. An apparatus for coating strand-like workpieces of the character described, said apparatus comprising a tank, a pair of drums freely rotatable about separate movable axes, means mounting said drums for pivotal movement about a common axis adjacent one upper edge of the tank, independent control means for moving the drums about said last-named axis between positions fully submerged in the treating material in the tank and positions at least partially removed from the tank, said control means also forming means for retaining the drums in any desired positions of the adjustment, the tank being subdivided intermediate said drums to provide independent chambers in the tank in which the separate drums operate, the subdivision of the tank comprising a reserve compartment for the storage of coating material to be supplied to the separate chambers of the tank, and means for heating the coating material in the compartment and chambers of the tank.

19. In a strand treatment tank of the character described, means pivotally movable at the upper edge portion of the tank and including a rotatable member movable into and out of the tank to positively support a relatively long length oi a strand in a number of turns wound around said member within and completely submerged in a solution arranged in the tank, and means for actuating the rst named means to move said member together with the strand supported thereon into other positions partially submerged in the tank and entirely out of the tank.

20. An apparatus for the treatment and coating of strand-like Workpieces, said apparatus comprising a tank, a wide rotatable member around which a workpiece is adapted to pass in a plurality of spiral turns across the Width thereof, and means pivoted to the upper portion of the tank to support said member in connection with said tank in a manner to provide swinging movement of said member with the workpiece thereon from` a position wholly within the tank to a position completely removed from the tank.

ANTHONY P. HINSKY. 

